Interior designer Kim Deetjen special- izes in resorts, hotels, and restaurants, all very public spaces. But her favorite project is the kitchen she and her hus- band, Cliff Deetjen, an architectural designer, created in their own home. “We waited a long time to do the renovation,” says Kim, a principal at TruexCullins, an
architecture and design firm in Burlington, Vermont, where she is head of interior design. “We
lived in the house for years so we could see how
we really used the space.” The family, which includes
two sons, ages 12 and 14, now constantly hangs out
in the room. “It suits us perfectly,” says Deetjen.

“It feels like home.” That sense of home is what she
strives to inject into her work designing, as she sees
it, homes away from home.

“The lines between design disciplines are not
drawn as distinctly as they once were,” she says.

“People want hotels and restaurants — even corporate spaces and schools — to be more homelike
than institutional. They want to feel comfortable
in spaces where they spend a lot of time.”

location is, of course, a top reason why people
select a particular resort or hotel, and Deetjen sees
the industry moving away from the cookie-cutter

Kim Deetjen—Away from Home

The Vermont interior designer gives hotels and restaurants a sense of place, style, and comfort
written by

gail ravgiala

photographed by

jim westphalen

interior designer kim
Deetjen relaxes in the lobby
she designed at Topnotch
Resort in Stowe, Vermont.